Mode of attaching thills to sleighs



BATCHELOR, OF FOXCROFT,

MAINE.

MODE 0F ATTACI-IING THILLS TO SLEIGHS.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 16,577, dated February 10, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. M. BATOHELOR, of F'oXcroft, in the county of Piscataquis and State of Maine, have invented a new and improved mode of attaching thills to sleighs, whereby the thills are rendered adjustable, so that they may be secured directly in front or in line with the sleigh or at points at either side of the center of the sleigh; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a side view of a sleigh with the thills attached to it according to my improved mode. The sliding and grooved bars which constitute my improvement, being bisected transversely as indicated by the line a, Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is an inverted plan of the same. Fig. 8, is an enlarged transverse section of the sliding and grooved bars, y, y, Fig. 2, indicating the plane of section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several igures.

This invention relates to an improved mode of attaching thills to sleighs, whereby the thills are rendered capable of being adjusted either directly in front or in line with the center of the sleigh or at points ateither side of the center of the sleigh, so that the horse and the sleigh may, in all cases, be so placed relatively with each other as to conform to the track of the road.

The invention consists in attaching the thills to a sliding bar which is fitted within a grooved bar, the sliding bar being secured at desired points within the grooved bar, by means of a spring which catches into notches or recesses in the edges of the grooved bar, as will be hereinafter fully shown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a sleigh,and B represents a cross bar secured to the front parts of the runners C.

To the under side of the bar B, a grooved plate or bar D, is attached by screws a. This plate or bar D, may be constructed of metal and the groove may be formed by swaging or bending down a lip b, b, one at each side of the plate or bar, or the plate may be cast with the lips upon it. These lips Z), b', are bent or curved downward and inward, as more particularly shown in Fig. 3, so that they may receive and sustain a bar E, which bar is allowed to slide freely back and forth between the lips Z9, b, and underneath the bar D. To each end of the bar E, a curved arm F, is attached. These arms project outward at right angles with the bar E, and each arm has a journal or pin c, at its outer end on which journals or pins the goose-necks cl, of the thills Gr, are placed. To the under side of the bar E, a spring H, is attached. This spring is merely a iat plate one end of which is secured to the bar E. The opposite end of the spring H, has a lip or projection e, on it at right angles with the plate or spring. This lip or projection extends over the lip b, at the inner edge of the bar D, and the lip b', has notches or recesses f, f, f, made in it at proper points, as shown in Fig. 2. The lip or projection e, on the spring H, secures the bar E, and thills G, in a position either directly in front or in line with the sleigh or at points at either side of t-he center of the sleigh. l/Vhen the lip or projection e', is in the notch or recess f, as shown in black, Fig. 2, the thills will be directly in front or in line with the sleigh. Then the lip or projection is in the notch or recess f, as shown in red, the thills will be at one side of the center of the sleigh, and when the lip or projection is fitted in the notch or recess f, the thills will be secured at the opposite side of the sleigh.

Thus it will be seen that the thills, by merely raising the lip or projection e, on the spring H, may be readily adjusted either in line with the center of the sleigh or at points at either side of the center of the sleigh.

In most parts of the country, teams or two-horse sleighs are generally used, and the roads consequently have a ridge of snow directly in the center-the ridge being formed by the horses beating down the snow at each side of the road or track. A single horse sleigh having its thills in line with the sleigh cannot well be used when roads are in this condition, as the horse would be obliged to travel on the ridge at th-e center of the road or track and consequently would be liable to slip. By my improvement, the thills may be moved to either side of the sleigh to allow the horse to travel at one side of the central ridge previously alluded to, and at the same t-ime allow the sleigh to be in the direct track at the center of the road. Roads that are much used or traveled upon, of course, are not liable to this objection, as the ridge is prevented from being formed by the constant crossing and recrossing of the sleighs. may then be placed in line With the sleigh.

I am aware that thills have been pre'viously attached to sleighs in such a manner that the thills may be adjusted or moved to either side of the sleigh, but the modes previously adopted have been complicated and the thills could not be adjusted Without considerable difficulty. My improvement is eX- tremely simple7 may be applied to sleighs at The thills a small cost and the thills may be adjusted with the greatest facility.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

Attaching the thills G, to the bar E, Which bar is fitted Within a grooved bar D, attached to the sleigh, the bar E, being allowed to slide Within the grooved bar D and secured at the desired points by the spring catch H substantially as described for the purpose set forth.

J. M. BATCHELOR.

Witnesses:

J. F. BROWN, W. B. DAVIS. 

